coming up today, the house is back at 9 a.m. eastern to finish work on a bill that designates certain lands and rivers in colorado, california and washington state as protected wilderness and bands new mining and oil production on public lands around the grand canyon. members are expected to take up a 1.9 trillion dollar covid relief package. you can follow the house live on c-span. at 9 a.m. c-span2, food and drug administration holds an open meeting to discuss emergency use authorization for the johnson and johnson covid-19 vaccine. on c-span3, the house rules committee meets at 9:30 a.m. eastern to consider the rules for debate on the covid-19 really bill before it heads to the house floor. >> coming "washington journal up this morning on "washington journal," alabama congressman gary pommel talks about covid-19 relief and the house gop agenda. then jensen wu from the lgbtq

believable -- legal advocates and defenders talks about the equality bill. ♪ host: good morning, everyone. it's friday, february 26. lawmakers later today in the house will be voting on president biden's $1.9 trillion economic aid package. you can watch the debate and vote right here on c-span on our website, www.c-span.org or listen with the free c-span radio app. before we get to that, democrats argue that one of the key reasons to pass the legislation is that it would help working women in this country whether you manage your household or you are in the workforce. this morning, women only, we are dividing the lines.

women only this morning, the impact of covid-19 on you. take a look at the recent headlines on how this is taking a toll on women. two point 5 million women left the workforce during the pandemic. the vice president sees a national emergency. that's from the new york times and then you have ford.com with the report that shows women's job competence is much lower than men in the pandemic economy. and a story out of michigan, women led businesses taking three times longer to recover from financial setbacks due to covid-19.

also this story from the signal in california -- suffering in silence, single moms speak out and challenges amid covid and finally come a chicago tribune op-ed -- moms home, she will do it and other pitfalls of the pandemic. if any of these headlines relate to you, we want to hear your story and how you think about your federal, local or state government. the national law center -- the national women's law center has put together some numbers. last week during a virtual town hall on the impact of the pandemic on working women, vice president kamala harris spoke about how she believes and

democrats believed american rescue plan will help women get back to work. here's what she had to say. guest: [video clip] >> all of you are a voice of women who have been severely impacted by the pandemic which is why you know it has created a perfect storm for women. the longer we wait to act, the harder it will be to bring these millions of women back into the workforce. let me be clear -- we all know this, our economy cannot fully recover unless women can participate fully. so, i think we all believe this is a national emergency. women leaving the workforce in these numbers, it's a national emerged -- emergency and it deserves a national solution so that brings me to the american rescue plan which i know you are all familiar with. we do believe that the american rescue plan is a very big part of the solution to this issue.

it will get immediate relief to women workers including $1400 to those who need it. and at least $3000 and tax credit for parents for each of their children. the beauty of the significance of this is by doing that, we will lift up nearly half of the children who are living in poverty in our country. it will also provide funding to help schools safely reopen and make a big investment in childcare to help providers keep their doors open. and it will get america vaccinated. simply put, the american rescue plan will help get women back to work. host: the vice president's argument for passing the 1.9 trillion dollar economic aid package. when that vote happens in the house today, republicans are

opposing it, democrats will need all of their rank-and-file to vote for it and then a vote is expected in the senate. the parliamentarian ruled last night that the minimum wage increase will not be allowed in the package. however, house democrats plan to include it in their package today but will strip it out for the senate. we are talking with women today and the impact of covid on you. look at the unemployment women -- the unplanned numbers for women. in january of 2020, the unemployment rate for women was 3.2%. a year later, 6%. sheila in saint cloud wisconsin, good morning. how has this impacted you?

caller: i personally do not believe in this $15 per hour wage. i know better, i was a dairy farmer, i know what that will do to all farmers. you cannot afford to pay somebody $15 per hour. it's not going to happen. it's not just farmers, it's also people working in fast food restaurants, they can't afford to pay them $15 for per hour. i have three daughters that are in the fast food industry. there is no way they will stay in business if they have to pay $15 per hour. host: how has the pandemic impacted you or your daughters financially? caller: i am retired so it has nothing to do with me but i do know what it does to other people. there's no way i could afford somebody -- paying $7,015 per hour.

no one makes that kind of money. host: marlene in alexandria, minnesota, same story. caller: thank you for taking my call. i'm calling about the women that are unemployed. the reason the women are so unemployed is because they will not open our schools. when you have children at home, someone has got to be there with them. we need to open the schools and the women that were working will go back to work. this unemployment constantly feeding to the unemployment, there are jobs out there. people do not want to go to work because they draw more money on social security -- i mean on unemployment benefits with this extra money and i said they won't go back to work, feeding the economy constantly will not cure the problem. you have to make people go back to work that will -- that were

working and not keep benefiting them without anything. they have no consequences. host: you are echoing the reporting that the primary reason women, nearly 3 million, have left the workforce during the pandemic is to care for their families with school and childcare closures and families who previously paid for childcare have given many parents no choice but to stay home with their kids that burden largely has fallen on women where they are leaving the workforce to care for an elderly parent. that is the dynamic that's happening. if you are one of those women, we want to hear from you this morning and tell us your story and how it's going for you and if you think the federal government can help you. or if you believe the $1.9 trillion aid package will help you. it includes a check for $1400 and that's the front page of usa today. for many, $1400 is a lifeline.

the issue of women leaving the workforce came up this week when jerome powell, the federal reserve chair testified on capitol hill. here is the breakdown of where women are leaving the workforce. listen to the exchange the federal reserve chair had at one of his hearings this week. [video clip] >> could you just talk about this and the challenges of women returning to the workforce during the pandemic and how you see that affecting our economic recovery? >> we know with the closure of schools and with homeschooling,

parents have had to stay home and that burden has falling significantly more on women than on men. women have an effect had to involuntarily withdraw from the workforce and hopefully that will be temporary to the extent that people want to return to the workforce but that interrupts your career and it will be difficult to get back to where you were in the work force and can't replace that work life you had and limit your ability to contribute to the economy. it's important and it's not really our policy that can accelerate that but policies that bring the pandemic to an end as soon as possible would help and allow us to open the schools up again and that would help. you are right, there have been disproportionate impact on that is one of them. >> i want to say that one of the key pieces of infrastructure for our economy and work for women

is the childcare system that is there so the young children have a safe, affordable place to go. this has been a big collapse in the childcare system during the pandemic. host: that was jerome powell from the federal reserve and you can watch more on our website, www.c-span.org. if you are one of those women they were talking about and those comments resonate with you, please call in and tell us your story. the bureau of labor statistics also found that women with families, their on a plummet rate in january of 2020 was 5.4 percent. in january of 2021, it's higher than the average, it's at 8.3%. women with families are seeing a higher unemployment rate than others.

connie in florida, good morning to you and thank you for calling in, share your story. caller: yes, i am not personally impacted by the covid. i don't have any children. what i want to say is that i think this is a good thing overall. yes, people are suffering hardship in the short-term term but i really hope it settles into women that you cannot take your children and pawn them off on public schools. they are with your children and i think it's a good thing for society. host: more of your calls coming up but scott is joining us on the phone. the parliamentary and rules is ruling against including the minimum wage in the economic package, tell us why. guest: elizabeth mcdonough

serves as the senate referee and she holds enormous power. she is not widely known to the general public but in this case, she made a major decision last night in -- informing the democrats and republican staff that she ruled that the $15 minimum wage is not really relevant to the democrats'$1.9 trillion relief package and therefore cannot be included in this package through the budget reconciliation process. that's this arcane process that allows democrats to pass something with just a simple majority rather than a much higher 60 vote threshold which would require democrats to bring on republican votes. in this case it would be through reconciliation. they can pass it with a simple majority and with just democrats in the senate.

it's significant because this had been one of the top priorities for democrats as they sought to take back the house and senate in recent elections, certainly the white house and it was a promise to the progressive base which is why you are seeing nancy pelosi today saying house democrats will keep the $15 wage hike in the house bill when they bring it to the floor today. nancy pelosi in the democrats believe they have to show the progressive base that they are fighting for them, that they understand that this was one of the reasons why voters sent them to the majority. we will see this play out over the next week or so. it will be a game of ping-pong where the house will send this bill over with the $15 minimum wage included and then the house will then have to somehow strip it out. host: you mean the senate will

have to strip it out? caller: guest: the senate will have to strip it out. host: and then what happens? guest: we are not quite sure because a lot of the senators are saying the fights not over. there are progressive like bernie sanders who want to include this $15 minimum wage hike at any cost. one of his proposals he issued last night was that he wants to strip large corporations like walmart of special tax deductions if they don't pay $15 minimum wage. he is saying he will demand this new amendment to be included in the coming covid package. this creates a new set of headaches for chuck schumer. he had put to rest the $15 minimum wage issue with this parliamentarian ruling for the

moderates who said they could not support it in any sort of covid package. it opens up a new set of headaches from the progressive wing and now they are agitating and chuck schumer's difficult task will be to hold together this fragile majority of 50 senators plus vice president kamala harris there to break any sort of tiebreaker. in the end, i think we will have a covid package because all the democrats realize that this is critical. we have heard from some of the callers today about the suffering we are seeing in the country and people's individual situations. democrats realize they don't have a choice but to pass a big covid package but how they get there, there is still some twists and turns left in this long journey. host: what about republicans?

how do they plan to vote in the house and the senate? guest: certainly in the house vote today, we are not expecting many republicans to join with democrats. there possibly could be a handful but by and large, we help -- we will see the republican party stick together and vote against the covid package. it's interesting because the polling has shown that covid relief is enormously popular. it's one of the reasons that has sort of propelled joe biden's popularity because he has made covid relief is number one issue out of the gate. republicans are saying that they have called this a democratic wish list. they think the spending is too big. they are concerned all of a sudden after many years of running deficits of deficit spending, they believe, if you

talk to republicans, they believe this is going to be an issue that will come back to bite democrats in the 2022 midterms. they believe that the spending issues will be on their side but democrats think that this is a popular issue and they believe the voters will be on their side in 2022 and they have made this a top priority and they are certainly not running away from the covid relief, they are embracing this as a popular policy proposal at a moment when democrats are now fully in control of the government. we will see how it plays out in two years but democrats believe right now that they have to act and they have to act big. host: you can follow scott wong's reporting on the economic aid package if you go to the

hill.com. thank you for your time is always. guest: thank you. host: we are talking with women only, the impact of covid-19 on you. you heard about the minimum wage. i'm wondering if you make a minimum wage and if you think an increase would help you. we want to hear from women only this morning on that as well. the wall street journal is reporting that costco will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour. we covered that hearing with the senate budget committee and you can find it on our website, host:.

patricia thank you for calling in, how has this impacted you? caller: i am calling to say yate that there is a women's only package for this. i am a single mother of three children with disabilities. when covid happened, i do some in-home therapy in houston so people could not come into my home. all of a sudden, my business went flat. i applied for the small business loans, even my local loan was denied. as i have been staying home with my disabled adults, they don't do the housework so all of a

sudden, i am put into the role of the clerk, the maid, and i want them to be independent. so yes, 100%. i also tried to get unemployment because i'm a small business and my employment -- i still am debating with that. i am an election judge for the county. i encourage tina smith to vote positive on this relief package especially for women. because i have had to do, i'm a single mother and have a large home, i've had to step in and do all the physical and manual labor which when i'm working, i can pay someone to do.

i have injured myself and i am currently in the hospital recovering from falling down a steep set of stairs and breaking my neck, my back and i have total spinal cord injuries. the stress that it put on to me as a mother and a female without any income has been horrendous. even my daughter who works in a restaurant, she is unable to get unemployment and she still getting unemployment. she lives in and out of the house but she is outspending anything she wants to. i have noticed it and it's not good because she has addictive properties also. not only am i physically doing all the work in my home, i'm also being a counselor.

i'm being the driver to get these kids where they need to be. i have no income host: we wish you a speedy recovery. if you were to get this $1400 check from the latest package, how far would that go? caller: right now, my automobile is sitting in my driveway without breaks. the first estimate is $890 so number one, i must get my car back in order. number two, the county sheriff, because they knew my children were at home, were misunderstood to think that my adult son who is 34 had to come back home because of covid and can't afford to remain in atlanta

losing his job. they came in the middle of the night and said there is a warrant out for your son. we had just come from court that morning, i paid $1500 cash and we had the warrant dismissed because the long-standing warrant. the county sheriff continued to pursue me in my nightclothes and pound at my sliding back door. the front door in the back door were open and they could have easily come in step my son was aware and he was packing his suits so when he went to court, he would look presentable. host: i will jump in there so we can get in some other calls as well. we wish you a speedy recovery. marlene in alexandria, minnesota, you are next, good morning. caller: good morning, i just called little while ago about the women and everything but because you had that gentle man

on, i would like to make another comment that i believe that the coronavirus packages for the people is good. what i don't agree with his all the other things they put in that package that is not covid-19 related. a bridge, a tunnel, all these other things and bailing out the democratic states and stuff that don't know how to manage their money or the programs. i think that's wrong. if they were put through this coronavirus package with just the coronavirus help, it would have gone in to the congress and it would have passed the senate. when they add all this pork into all these bills that nobody ever hears about or knows about and it gets passed, that's where the problem is.

they need somebody looking over that and saying that no, i give credit to the person that said this $15 per hour cannot pass in this bill. host: the parliamentarian did that. here is a text from patsy in illinois. clarice and gaffney, south carolina, hi there. caller: hi. host: how has the pandemic impacted you? caller: i do make $15 per hour. i am a 51-year-old female. my car broke so i've been in a downward spiral. my car broke and that put me behind with my bills and then i started having complications physically and had to go to the doctor and i don't have any insurance. now i'm really far behind with

my bills like paying my rent. they tell me that i cannot get help. because i work, i cannot get it. it's not covid related. host: do you have children? caller: no, ma'am. it's just me. host: how would the check help you? do you think you will get it? caller: i would get the $1400. host: how will it help you? caller: i have to make payment arrangements to pay my house bills. i have to have some kind of surgery like a stent put in, stuff like that i have to go back thursday and get something else. host: you have to pay health kill bills? caller: i don't have any health care. i tried to get it with my job

but my window of opportunity ran out before i could get it. if i get health care, that will take money out of my check where i can't pay my bills like rent and lights. host: maggie in pittsburgh, you are next. caller: thank you and good morning. i had covid and i believe i got it when i was in orleans during mardi gras. i flew in that day my mistake -- by mistake and when i got home, that's when i got covid. it's like a bad flu so i am not very worried about it. at the time, i was because there was so much fear about it. that was in the earlier days. thankfully, i have a good friend who is living in florida and she

had been a nurse and taught nursing so she talked me through it. when i went to the emergency room later on, i had my gallbladder out and everything was different. my niece and her husband had to stop the car and somebody came to the car and asked different questions before they would even let me into the emergency room. host: what is your point of telling us this? caller: what's my point? host: about how the hospital was working? caller: i am pointing out what's different with covid, what was different that i noticed. host: have you had any financial challenges because of the pandemic? maybe you or your daughters or family members? caller: no, n ando.

in the second check was like $30. host: what did you do with those checks? caller: i don't remember what i did with the first one. i may have gone out to lunch. i have some friends that i go out to lunch or dinner with and they have had it as well. host: a reminder to you and others that if you call in, mute your television and listen and talk to us through your phone. take a look at some of the headlines recently about women in the workforce. just a reminder, the new york times, 25 million women have left the workforce during the pandemic and the vice president calls it a national emergency. if you are one of those women, call this morning. from forbes.com, they note a

recent study found that women's job confidence is much lower than men in the pandemic economy. if you relate to that headline, call in as well. in michigan, they note another report that found women led businesses are taking three times longer to recover from financial setbacks due to covid-19. if you own your own business and a woman, please call in this morning as well. if you are a single mom and you relate to this headline, suffering in silence from the signal website in california. if you are working at home or you are managing your household and you have kids at home that are learning virtually, we want to hear your story as well and maybe you can relate to this from the chicago tribune op-ed -- mom's home, she will do it and other pitfalls of the pandemic. hastings, minnesota, hi there. caller: hi, i listens to the

other people calling in and i think it's nice to be able to gloss over things and you have people calling from minnesota and minnesota is minnesota nice but they don't address the issues. when we talk about covid-19, these are ward members. i can be accused of being a conspiracy theorist but in the past, we were called conscientious objectors and you have organizations forcing you to get help or not providing services. even domestic violence, since covid-19 hit the nation, i have lost my grandmother, my father, had to verify my identity for two months. i was evicted illegally during covid. there are a lot of issues that covid is creating but if you think about it, a respiratory problem is what covid is. host: can i ask you about your eviction, why?

caller: why was i evicted? i am confused as to why i was evicted and my friend and family members are why did you leave your house? night landlord had me a packet of papers in a state of the information and the paperwork was not correct. my neighbors were harassing me and i called the police probably five times and said my name mers -- my neighbors are parking in the way. they pointed at my door of the apartment and i got a ticket for shoplifting by the hastings police department. when the owner handed me a packet of papers, he included photos that i know could not have been submitted to the court because there is no way the court would've approved them because it looked like there was someone tied up in the basement. host: what was it

caller: you are asking me why was i evicted? host: what was it like to try to get another place to live during covid? caller: it's impossible. it's been impossible to find somewhere to live. i've been staying in motels and i collect unemployment. with the $611 per week, i was making about $4000 per month before covid so it's half of what my income was but trying to find a place to live plus a deposit and having a reason eviction on my record is nearly impossible so i reached out to different organizations, i sent about 20 emails in the past several days to people in redwing who i think are racist.

i'm staying in a motel and i don't know where life will take me but to say all that, with all the drudgery, it still a beautiful world and i hope people get over covid as quickly as possible and take personal responsibility for what they need. host: i will go to linda in waterville, new york, am i saying that right? welcome to the conversation. caller: thank you, i used to work as a cashier when it first started with covid. i was wearing a mask and gloves and then it really hit and it became like mandatory to wear at work. in the meantime, i had taken off two months. i removed myself because i am older and i have underlying autoimmune disease.

once they were requiring everyone to wear a mask, i returned and after a while, they just kind of slacked off and they weren't wiping anything down. i found another job fortunately at a large food chain. i stock and i get there very early in the morning, 3:00 in the morning and i don't have as much exposure for everyone so i am a front-line worker. however, by stocking, my underlying conditions, i have developed arthritis and pmr and it is really flaring up. i'm getting injections to my joints in order to continue working. it's kind of twofold. with minimum wage going up to

$15 per hour which i am for, i think it should be more, as someone on disability, i am limited on the amount of money i can earn privately by working. i am limited to $11.80 per month -- per hour. -- i am limited to$1,180 per month and i have to cut back my hours and i'm not as valuable to my employer by working three days per week part-time hours. that's my concern. maybe social security could raise the ceiling so that i could actually work four days per week part-time. if i'm only there 12-15 hours per week, am not really sure how easy it's going to be to maintain employment and that's my concern. host: let's hear from jennifer

in oak park, illinois, hi there. caller: hello, i just wanted to tell you fast about some of the mothers and grandmothers calling in and being meant about how they have to take care of their children. one of the grandmas was why don't i get paid from the government for watching my own kids grandkids which makes no sense but i worked in the restaurant industry and basically it's been decimated by covid. you don't get paid minimum wage when you're a server or tender. you get a little bit under and everything is tips. when it comes to the confidence in going back to work, i already had zero confidence that it did not matter how men treated me at work but now, i will have to

take it just to get that because i don't get paid a minimum wage. host: what are you doing for a living right now? are you collecting unemployment? caller: yes, i am, no i'm not. i was working for myself in the hair industry which has also gone downhill. right now, my husband works so i'm lucky to have had that. the $1400 check, it's amazing that people are saying that this is enough money. i don't have children and i chose specifically not to. $1400, my mortgage right now is 1850. that doesn't even cover a full mortgage and i don't even have children. they were saying women in the service industry, you said it

was like 2.4 million, it was so many but i remember being in the restaurant industry and saying that the hospitality/restaurant industry is dominated by women and by single mothers specifically. it seems to make sense like for everything to drop so fast so much because the patriarchy. host: let me show the numbers for anyone who missed it from the bureau of labor statistics.

let me show you from another town hall from a virtual town hall from the nevada senator talking about women in her state workforce that had been impacted by the pandemic. [video clip] >> we have been so hard hit because of this pandemic, our tourism and travel industry has been devastated. because of that, we have led the country and the worst unemployment rate. last spring and it is still over 9%. who is part of that workforce? mainly women. the pandemic has set them disproportionally in nevada, women from our black and latino communities and native americans, communities have been so hard hit. these are women who are most

often are putting food on the table and taking care of their children, they are worried about the education and trying to get access to health care for everyone in the family. that is why we need the american rescue plan, to deliver immediate relief to our working families. the plan will get more money into their hands to keep them afloat so they can -- until they can bring the pandemic on the control and our economy recovers. do not underestimate the unemployment benefits. these payments have come directly into her family's and they are a lifeline and we have to continue. my biggest concern looking at the unemployment rates as the hospitality industry for those states that rely on that revenue and those families who rely on it for safety and security. we will be the last to come out of it. the american rescue plan is the lifeline. host: do you agree with the senator, women only this morning.

do you think the aid package will help you, susan in linden, virginia, you are next. caller: hi there, i think they need to pass this as quickly as possible and what should have been addressed previously, the minimum wage should have been addressed many years ago which is something they can put on the table and get this relief out to the people who need it. my family has been blessed. we are primarily health-care workers and educators. the other edge of the coin we are not looking at is i can tell you that most of us who are in these industries are going to get out as soon as they can because of the stress that has been put on us. i am 62 and my husband will be retiring this year from education early. my sister and my brother-in-law, if they could get out, they would. i know tons of people in these industries it will be leaving the industries and where will

that leave us in the future? we already have a nursing shortage. i am a nurse and i am just concerned that we need to look down the line because so many people who can get out, will get out of the industry. host: i read an article about that before the show this morning. the stress nurses have been under during this pandemic and the shortage that was already there before the pandemic, the article about how that is going to get worse. caller: unfortunately, we will not see the long-term effects on health care workers for a long time. that's something that will need to be studied because these people are going to have post-traumatic stress like something you've never seen before. our inability to deal with mental health issues in this country is really going to come to the forefront with this. i have been fortunate. i [no audio] was able [no audio] to transition to a work at home

position but -- host: are they largely women as well? caller: these are jobs in the hospital that are women professions. everybody i know is a woman who is in health care on the front lines. they are unbelievably resilient. they continue to just trod on an every new thing that comes out them, they kind of role with the punches. i think a lot of people who are able to transition to different types of employment whether it's getting out of the hospital and going into offices or other environments in which they could utilize their skills are doing that. i think the frontline workers have to put it on the back burner because they are dealing with it day to day. you will see the effects down the line. host: how are they balancing having to work and leave the house and kids at home if they have them?

caller: it's been so difficult for so many people. i know a lot of people who are fortunate enough that they have family members who are around. they were talking about grandparents who were able to pitch in and other family members. childcare by and large, private childcare was shut down so they didn't have that resource. families have really had to rally. a lot of health care people also have come if they can work ultimate ships, they do to fill in the gap. there husband may be available for part of the time. many people's husbands or work from home so they can fill in. they have been patching it together as they can. host: maybe your friends and husbands can relate to this. this is an opinion piece in the new york times. the headline is mothers all over losing it. she talks about the difficulty of keeping your temper during

these trying times and that women felt guilty about that before the pandemic but now it's even worse. host: do you have any reaction to that? caller: this is really true. i am in a unique position because i have a grandson who lives with me who is in high school but i can tell you that even for me, i have a meditation

practice but even i struggle with keeping my mental health and balance and my flow. i can only imagine what these people who are constantly barraged with the constant need for people -- p i haveeriods of time when i am alone so i can kind of decompress but these people who don't have that ability, i don't know how they are handling this. host: susan mentioned the minimum wage. the headline in the new york times on that this morning is about the parliamentarian ruling against democrats on including it in the overall package. it's dealing a blow to democrats is the headline in the new york times. there it is on your screen. diane in illinois, good morning to you. caller: good morning. host: go ahead, we are listening. caller: i worry -- i have adult

children. two of them are essential workers. even though they are not in my house, i worry because i'm their mother. host: why? tell us specifically. caller: i'm worried about them catching covid. i have had two friends die of covid. host: i'm so sorry. caller: yes. host: what do your kids do? caller: my one son is a nurse and my other son works in a grocery store. host: how much would you say the worrying consumes you? caller: it does at times. host: ok, diane in illinois. i want to show you what's

happening on capitol hill today. at 9 a.m. eastern time, johnson and johnson covid-19 vaccine will come before'thes food and drug administration advisory committee and they're asking for emergency authorization here. johnson & johnson saying they are ready to go with 3-4,000,000 doses if they can get the emergency authorization and you can watch the advisory committee on c-span two and on our website www.c-span.org or download the free c-span radio app as well. also happening today before the 1.9 trillion dollar economic aid bill comes to the house floor, it has to go before the house rules committee. they will take up the bill at 9:30 a.m. eastern time and you can watch that on c-span3, on our website, www.c-span.org or you can download the free c-span radio app.

in other news today, we will show you some of the headlines as well this morning. we will get to those after we talked to janet. president joe biden will be visiting houston today after the winter storm. you can look for his schedule and our coverage on www.c-span.org.in other news, the new york times, the house passed the gender equality legislation yesterday and we will talk about that coming up on "washington journal ." also, president biden yesterday morning from reports, he went ahead with eight syrian approved strike on syrian operations and that was making headlines today as well. we will see what lawmakers have to say about that on capitol hill. hi janet. caller: good morning. i have been blessed, i work for

the government and have had steady employment. i feel so much for the people who are affected by covid. i wanted to wish the lady who called earlier was going in for an operation, i just wanted to say i am sending her my prayers and i hope her procedure is successful. that was the lady was getting the stent. ever since the late 1970's, our plans have been eviscerated. our jobs have gone overseas and there's been this dreadful trend toward low wages for people who work terribly hard. i hope that president biden is able to turn this trend around and that's all i wanted to say. host: karen in hollywood, florida, how has the pandemic

impacted you? caller: these are heartbreaking stories and i've been affected as well but my concern is they haven't spent all the other money for the covid virus. a small amount of this bill will go for covid and the american people are suffering horribly. i think what we should do, they should pass it for the covid and forget everything else. my concern is that we don't have this money. i think our taxes will go up huge. i would like to see the majority of this money spent to help the american people.. it's apsley horrible and people are suffering terribly. -- it's absolutely horrible and people are suffering terribly. host: did you receive the previous covid checks? caller: can you repeat the question? host: have you received any of the checks? caller: it's been hard on me but

i felt fortunate with myself and my children that at least they are working. host: let me ask you, how did you spend the money and another $1400 could be sent out, how will you spend the next check? caller: i think i will only get about $600 if they send it. i will use it for essentials like groceries and expenses and bills. i'm really concerned, i don't know why we need a bridge to canada or a tunnel to silicon valley, i don't know why we have to nail out states that have mismanaged their finances. they haven't spent all the money in the first trillion dollar bill they did for covid. there is more money there and honestly, listening to these

previous phone calls, people couldn't use much more help financially. host: previewing the debate that you will hear and the points that republicans are likely to make and maybe some democrats about previous covid 19 economic aid bills and the money and whether it's been spent or not and how it will help americans. president trump will speak once again, he has done so every year of his presidency at the conservative political action committee. the former president will speak on sunday at the annual gathering. watch live coverage of the three day conference including remarks by mr. trump on its final day, scheduled for 3:40 p.m. eastern time and you can watch it here on c-span and on our website www.c-span.org for listen with the free c-span radio app. ann in tallahassee, good morning. caller: good morning and thanks for taking my call.

i have been personally ok during the pandemic other than being terrified and horrified. i would just like to put in a word for all of the women, particular single women, single mothers, they are able to call in now precisely because they are doing the work of seven. they are getting breakfast ready, getting the kids ready and trying to drug -- to juggle home and work and helping the children online and might be doing their own jobs from home. they might be struggling to find childcare and keeping the house together. i really think you are not going to get this time of day the women who are under the most stressful stuff host: i know, i've been thinking about that all morning in this first hour about those women. caller: i just put in a word for them and sending them all best hopes and good wishes. i don't see a way out for them. host: i hope they can send us a

quick text. caller: hang in there. host: the senate banking committee tuesday, the federal reserve chair jerome harrell -- jerome peril -- jerome powell spoke. [video clip] >> 50 million women have been forced out. they face possible choice between their paychecks and caring for their children. the biden rescue plan provides the funding we need to get americans vaccinated and it's suggested that that's the right policy that will help kids back to school and working moms get back to work safely. what can be done to make sure women with young children can return to the work force so that we don't end up with an even bigger, lasting gender gap in the labor market? >> the tools that can address specific groups, for example

women uber taps -- who perhaps dropped out of the workforce, those are not tools we have. i would stay way from fiscal policy and talk about what we can do. the main thing we can do is continue to support the economy and give it the supported needs. we are still 10 million jobs below the level of payroll jobs during the crisis. there is a long way to go to full recovery and we intend to keep our policy supportive of that recovery. host: the federal reserve chair testifying on capitol hill this week. if you miss the hearings any want to hear more, you can find it on our website, www.c-span.org. if any of you called in today and were able to share your stories with us and you want to share what you had to say here, you can share with your family and friends on facebook or email it to your local officials.

you can go to www.c-span.org and easily clip from the washington journal. you will find it at the lower part of your screen, a tutorial, and easy guide to clip what you said and you can send it out and posted on your social media site as well. one last comment and it comes from nancy. we believe there for now but we will talk more about this $1.9 trillion economic aid package. we will talk with gary palmer who is the chair of the republican policy committee and we will talk about the gop legislative priorities as well. he is from alabama and later we will talk about yesterday's passage of a house of the equality act with samson wu

♪ >> looked tv on c-span two has taught nonfiction books and authors every weekend. sunday evening at 9:00, on afterwards, nationally syndicated radio host eric on his book, fish out of water, a search for the meaning of life, about his life and career. he is interviewed by the claremont institute center for american my fellow carson hallway. and another author argues there's been an increase in sexual assault in europe due to immigration in her book, pray. immigration, is long -- and james patterson, and retired on your -- army ranger matt

everson talk about their book, walk in my combat boots. a profile of men and women who have fought in wars going back to vietnam. watch book tv on c-span two. >> with the biden administration now leading the federal response of the coronavirus pandemic, follow the latest at c-span.org/coronavirus. search c-span's coverage of news conferences, as well as remarks from members of congress, use the interactive gallery of maps to follow the cases in the u.s. and worldwide. go to c-span.org/coronavirus. >> washington journal continues. host: joining us now is congressman gary palmer, republican of alabama and the chair of the republican policy committee. congressman, before we talk about the 1.9 julian dollar economic aid bill, can you quickly tell viewers, what are

your responsibilities as chair of the republican policy committee? what do you do? guest: we keep our conference informed about the key issues, we make sure members know what's going on in the other committees. and we are so assigned to serve a committee and you can get siloed and it's important to keep up with what's going on in the other committees. we are responsible for making sure everybody knows what the key issues are and whether they are in the committee jurisdiction or not. i think we've done a good job. host: what is the policy committee advising lawmakers, how are you advising them on this $1.9 trillion economic aid package? guest: we don't advise them on legislation, we provide them with information so they can make a good decision.

in this case, i have come back and looked at the lab -- the past stimulus legislation, particularly the 2000 nine stimulus passed by the obama biden administration, they said it would make 250,500 thousand new jobs per month. and the unemployment rate was higher than when they began. at that time vice president biden was going around talking about a summer recovery 18 months after the bill was passed. he went on national public radio with a headline saying over summer, there was an economic pothole. that's my concern and i think our conferences is concern about this stimulus bill. there are people who need help. they will get some help from

this. this is a massive welfare expansion. a bailout for blue states. a tremendous amount of money that has nothing to do with covid relief. going back and studying the 2009 stimulus, the chicago anonymous talked about the outcome of that and called it a recession. host: your audio you can move closer to your microphone so they can hear everything. i'm sure viewers are listening closely and want to be able to hear you and a comment and ask you questions. if you want to do so, for republicans (202) 748-8001. for democrats (202) 748-8000. for independents (202) 748-8002.

you can text us with your first name city and state at -- at (202) 748-8003. what in this legislation would you vote for congressman? guest: [indiscernible] we have to do a much better job at reaching underserved communities. there's a tremendous need for educated people about vaccines and encouraging more people to get it. that is something a lot of us tried to push [indiscernible] and we did not get that in. i think that's one of the top priorities. there are people out there who are truly hurting, who lost their jobs, or had their incomes

reduced. those folks should have been the primary function of this bill. [indiscernible] bailout of everybody. that does not help, does not stimulate the economy. we have seen that from the last bills passed, the savings went up, which meant people are not putting that into the economy. i don't think we should be bailing out failed states. we should be building an underground tunnel in silicon valley. we need to be helping people. we need to be helping small businesses. small businesses a deployment engine for the country. we don't invest in that in this bill. host: what about money to reopen

schools, where you come down on that? guest: that's another issue. [indiscernible] apparently, the science needs to be more specific that community members can go back to school. that's the only thing holding us up. having a devastating impact on families [indiscernible] i was listening to calls earlier , working moms are not able to get back to jobs [indiscernible] take care of their kids. it's having an unbelievably negative impact with high rates of depression and suicide, drug use, anxiety, eating disorders. these are the consequences of keeping schools closed. that's where a lot of this funding should be focused. host: let's go to calls john, in

virginia. caller: it seems to me that republicans, when they run their platform, they are always running to insult hillary clinton, and barack obama. when people vote, they need something that involves their lives. [indiscernible] we elected to do something for the country, no matter how things go bad. you need to learn how to compromise. my republican friends and i always tell them, the country needs to compromise. we have seen all these congresspeople that we elect, the only thing they are offering

us is to insult democrats. they never say this is what we have. this is how we work for the country. this is what we will spend. but every time you guys speak of, it's always -- [indiscernible] small businesses are paying now, businesses -- host: it was hard to hear you but i think the congressman heard the first part of what was said. your response. guest: i don't feel i've been insulting anyone [indiscernible] facts [indiscernible] when republicans offer minimum after minimum and none of them are offered. you have a bill today that not go through committee and it went straight to the floor. it is difficult to have any

opportunity to reach a compromise when you are shut out of the process entirely. host: charlie, in maine, and independent. caller: my question to the congressman, i apologize senator. host: he's a member of the house. caller: as soon as mr. biden won the election, we could hopefully get the other half of the country to at least realize that. but, why is it that when democrats get the power, it's always about stopping whatever they can do. what about the people? we have senators in there, to name a few, senator hawley,

senator cruz, that have voted no on everything since biden has gotten in. why do republicans not care about the money when democrats are in control? host: congressman, -- guest: first i would suggest that if he has a problem with the senate, he should call when there are senators on. in regard to what we are trying to do, we are trying to do what's best for the country. this gentleman may not realize it, i grew up dirt poor. i understand what it means to work hard and to try to make your way. i understand what it means for families are struggling right now. we are trying to do its best for them. for me it's not about politics.

it's about supporting the best policies to benefit the most people in the country. these partisan discussions are always one-sided, i don't care who you are, and people will call in and say we are opposing democrat policies. what we are opposing his bad legislation. the bottom line is that it's bad legislation. host: joanne, in nevada, a republican. caller: good morning. i have a problem with all of these bills going through. i only make 30,000 year, but i write a check quarterly to my county taxes and my irs. to pay for all of the scrap that they are spreading out. covid-19 only. i have friends that are getting their houses, getting a

supplement in their rent. they are living off my dollars. i plan for my old age. now you are sucking that out. how do i live with this? host: congressman? guest: that's the point i'm making. we are opposing things that hurt people like joanne. what we are trying to do is rebuild our economy. on the strength of our nation. with policies that help people. these policies are going to have a devastating effect on people like joanne because costs are going to go up. energy costs are inflationary because it's involved in everything. for the manufacturing, transportation, storage, [indiscernible] food, close, what have you.

everything has an energy cost. that's we're trying to get across to people. how these policies harm people. [indiscernible] bills going through that have nothing to do with covid. [indiscernible] adding to the national debt. [indiscernible] massive tax increase. host: hector, in port st. lucie, florida, independent. caller: thank the lord, i been trying all day yesterday. finally got through. congressman, i know you are counting the pennies. there is a law, 101 -- 194, the government ethics reform act of 1989. it gives you, the congressman

and everyone there who earns $174,000 a year in automatic increase because the minimum wage has not gone up for so many years. would you be willing to propose adding the minimum wage to that automatic increase that congress gets? host: let's have the congressman respond. guest: congressman does not get an automatic [indiscernible] congress has not gotten an increase in pay in 10 or 11 years. [indiscernible] we don't get an increase. minimum wage will have a devastating impact [indiscernible] first-time jobseekers. high school and college students , those entering the job market.

millions of jobs will be lost. not every state has the same cost of living. a $15 and hour minimum wage would do enormous harm to businesses in my home state of alabama. it might make sense in new york, where the cost of living is considerably higher. again, this is another example of a bad policy that will hurt millions of people. host: james, and chicago, a democratic caller. you are next. guest: thank. -- caller: thank you. representative gary palmer talked about bailing out the blue states, but alabama for every dollar they sent to washington, d.c. they get $2.17 back, what you say about that? guest: i think we need to

evaluate our spending across-the-board. in regard to blue state bailouts, what's going to happen is you're going to bailout a failed state with employee pensions. california's running an enormous [indiscernible] pensions should have at least 80% assets to their obligations. illinois at 35%. that's an extremely poorly run state government and pension plan. host: if republicans were in charge of the house, at this point in the pandemic, what and how much money would you pass to respond to the pandemic, to try to help the economy? guest: a billion dollars, i think that's sufficient. you have to keep in mind that there's over a trillion dollars

that we passed in previous covid relief bills that has not been spent. it makes no sense to add another trillion dollars or 1.3 -- $1.3 trillion in this case to the federal debt when there's over trillion dollars out there that has not been utilized up to this point. host: next on the democratic line, go ahead. caller: good morning greta. representative, my dad is from gadsden, alabama. i know how you're living in gadsden. but this is what i want to know. we please tell them -- you've been there for the last 10 years, what is your health care plan that you drafted, hr one in the house of representative. please tell greta so she could

have a program and pull it up to the american people can see what your health care plan has been for the last 10 years. host: congressman? guest: i have not been in congress 10 years. i've been in congress six years one month and 23 days. but who's counting. in terms of our health care, what we want to do is empower people and restore the patient-physician relationship. we want to incentivize people to live healthier lifestyles. to do that, we are for a massive expansion of health savings accounts. we are for setting up short-term to health insurance plans so that younger people and people who are between jobs can buy the health insurance that they need and can afford. and under my plan, they can do that for up to five years. we are for covering people with pre-existing conditions.

i wrote the amendment to cover pre-existing conditions by setting up a guaranteed benefits pool, so that anyone who has pre-existing conditions can get health insurance and not be afraid that their health issues would not be covered. we are for allowing association group plans. which would allow small business owners are an independent contractor to buy health insurance as part of a much larger group, which would dramatically reduce premium costs. we are for allowing people to buy their health insurance across state lines like you do your car insurance. we have great plans for covering health care. and making it affordable. i look forward to the day when we get back to the majority and we can get those bills past that have these provisions. host: in florida, on the

independent line. go ahead. caller: i'm a former republican. i have a statement for him. on wall street journal february 11, lewis said he's getting out of the republican party, watching and waiting for the republican party to clean up its act. i'm in the same boat. i've called in on the public in line for 25 years. i want to come back into the party, but mitt romney said and he has an article explaining why larger clean this package democrats are trying to pass, and he's putting the brakes on with rational and intelligent logic. i want the republican party to get behind mitt romney and to retire donald trump as an old racehorse that has to be put out to pasture. we have to go forward.

i'm an outsider so i'm looking from the outside waiting to come back in when the republican party cleans up its act and like william buckley had to clean up the republican party to make it fit and separating from certain groups that are too far out there either public and party has to clean up its act, get behind mitt romney. he's like a mighty lion and he is forming a pride with some liens and lionesses like murkowski and i hope that joni ernst will turn into a lioness. and they put donald trump out to pasture. host: congressman, what are your thoughts on the former president as the leader of the republican party? guest: i think there of dobkin -- the republican party is a big tent. i hear this all the time from people who say why can't you be more like the democrats. well we don't want to be more like the democrats. we want to give people the

opportunity to speak their mind, to express their opinions, and work together to come up with the best solutions. i'm not going to exclude anyone. i welcome this gentleman back into the party if he wants to be a part of that effort. host: i want to show our viewers earlier this week, kevin mccarthy and liz cheney offering different views on when they were asked about the former president speaking at cpac this weekend. [video clip] >> [indiscernible] do you believe former president trump should get cpac. >> yes you should. >> that's up to cpac. [indiscernible] i don't believe he should be playing a role in the future of the party with the extent of

what happened on january 6. [laughter] host: what did you make of that moment this week between the two leaders? guest: i don't believe in exiling anyone because of their political views. so i take exception to a congresswoman cheney said. i think the former president has every right to continue to participate in the politics and policy depressions -- discussions of this country. host: michael, in florida, a democratic collar. caller: i'm going to be the most divisive because i'm going to say both sides have something solid to stand on. think tanks and groups like cpac, both sides have a false understanding of both sides and

putting this -- pushing this competition that optimizes outcomes in a dozen. the science says the opposite of what both sides push. this is the basis for an awareness that we have a blindness and an openness to eugenics thinking which means that we are open to and blind to eugenics thinking. especially with economics and capitalism at large. if you're part of western society at large we all have the sense that competition leads to positive things. that means if you're sick and elderly and old or poor or different than whoever speaking then perhaps those people are yes then -- less than. and they may suffer or die like in the case of covid. but your benefit -- host: but michael, what is your question for the congressman?

caller: my question is, do you have an understanding, that free-market competition has led to a hyper into legibly -- individualistic pathological individualism that the constitutional forefather him's debt forefathers did not have any conception of peer that you could be an individual to the exclusion of everything else. do you have an understanding that hyper toxic individualism does not benefit us all? guest: it's not my response to that is the free market has benefited billions of people. i think competition is good and improves quality of life, in regards to how response to people who are older, i want to

have that discussion with governor cuomo and how he handled the elderly and the nursing homes. from my perspective, one of the things that we don't talk about much is the role of faith and religion in regard to the free market. you have to have a moral standard that guides you, otherwise you will have survival of the fittest. host: kenny, in wilson, north carolina, independent. caller: good morning c-span. i have a quick question. i want to know how he voted on the $2 trillion tax cuts from trump. in the last package that they voted on, the democrats did not

hesitate to help the stock market. it's funny how they don't want to sign up for this rescue plan, which will stimulate the economy a lot more than $2 trillion did when trump first got into office. host: i'm going to jump in and have the congressman respond to your argument that this 1.9 $20 will be more stimulating to the economy then the tax cut passed by republicans. guest: he could not be more wrong the tax cuts had a tremendous positive impact on the economy. we saw it played out right in front of us. incomes went up for the first time in years, household income up for the first time in years, we had some of the lowest unemployment rates which we had seen in our history,

particularly among african-americans and specifically among african-american women. we had some of the lowest unemployment rates among women across the board in the last 50 years. it had a tremendously positive impact. what you have when you have bailouts like this bill is -- which have nothing to do with the economy, is that it will eventually have a recessionary impact. they are following along almost exactly with what they did in 2009. and unemployment went out. household incomes went down. it had a very negative impact on the economy. host: on the democrat line, from florida. caller: i do have one question and two examples of why asked. host: i'm going to need you to just ask the question because we have 30 seconds.

caller: ok. the question is, when will republicans stop lying to people question mark he just told to gray skies -- great lies on camera. host: about tax cuts? caller: know about the health plan -- no, about the health plan and being disingenuous about adding amendments, which is the same democrats did. guest: that's another example of somebody who has been drinking the kool-aid. they are not following the facts. to say that what i laid out as our plan, and what i have opposed for health care reform, i don't know how you could say that's a lie when that's my plan and i've been consistent in proposing these things from the time i have been in congress. i am the one who introduced the amendment that we passed in 2017

to cover pre-existing conditions. it's another example of getting the facts wrong. host: before we let you go, your reaction to the news last night that president biden took swift military action with iran backed militias. what is your reaction? guest: i have not been briefed on any of the details. but it sounds like it was a military decision, strategic decision and once we get briefed i will be able to give a statement. host: congressman gary palmer, we appreciate your time and taking calls from our viewers, come back again. guest: thank you. host: yesterday we will talk about the house passage of the equality act with janssen will -- janson wu.

♪ >> sunday, on q and a, erica armstrong dunbar, history professor from rutgers university talks about she came to slay, on the life and exploits of harriet tubman. >> we know that she made at least 13 trips to and from the eastern shores of maryland. that's one thing people either don't know or excuse. she was not running all over the south emancipating people. she made specific, targeted trips to the state of maryland to rescue her family and her friends. we know that she touched the lives and basically emancipated at least 60 to 70 people on at least 13 trips. >> erica armstrong dunbar,

sunday at 8:00 eastern on c-span skewing day. -- q and a. ♪ >> you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's television companies in 1979. today it's brought to you by to provide c-span to viewers as a public service. >> washington journal continues. host: janson wu is the executive director of the glbtq legal advocates and dissent -- defenders group. here to talk about the house passing the equality act with three republicans joining democrats to vote yes. what is the significance of this legislation in your opinion? guest: it's indoor missile important to the lgtbq

community. what the equality act is really about is making sure the american dream is a reality for everyone in our country. that anyone who works hard and contributes to their communities, families, neighbors, can have a life. we applaud the house for passing the equality act. we look forward to the senate taking next steps. host: when can the senate take it up? guest: i don't have any more knowledge than the next person. but we do expect a full hearing in the senate, where senators can finally here from the stash hear -- hear from stories where people have been harmed from discrimination, whether been kicked out of their homes are being kicked out of restaurants and businesses because of who they are and who they love. that's wrong. that's not american. we look forward to that opportunity to present the stories of harm that happen

every day to the lgtbq community. host: the equality act prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. expands the definition of public accommodation, allows the department of justice to intervene in federal equal protection actions on account of sexual orientation and gender identity and prohibits the religious freedom restoration act of 1993 as a means of challenging protections and prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility. what does this do for legal challenges that have come up over the years when it comes to equality? guest: that's a great question. i think this actually makes it easier for people who want to do the right thing to do the right thing. most americans, most businesses, most employers want to treat people with fairness.

there is a patchwork of laws across the country and they are looking to congress to say clearly that nondiscrimination because of who you are or who you love is the standard for our nation. i think this will help businesses and employers do the right thing by creating a national standard. host: what legal challenges have been in the news in past years that viewers would remember and that this legislation would impact? guest: we are still celebrating incredible victory from the u.s. supreme court last june in a case called bostic, where three individuals, two gay men and one transgender woman were fired because of who they are. that includes folks like aimee stephens, a dedicated and compassionate funeral home director for years. and when she told her employer she would be transitioning to live as a woman that she has always been, they fired her.

it includes folks like gerald bostic, who provided essential services for children in need is a government employee and when his employer found out he joined a gay softball league, they fired him. what the u.s. supreme court did in june was by a 6-3 decision, that opinion was written by conservative justice gorsuch was say that title vii protections against sex discrimination also protects gay and transgender employees. the equality act ensures and enshrines that in the law and broadens those protections to all of the other areas including housing and public spaces like restaurants and transportation. host: here are the lines for our viewers, for republicans (202) 748-8001. for democrats (202) 748-8000. for independents (202) 748-8002. if you are a member of the lgtbq

community your line this morning is (202) 748-8003. you can also text with your first name, city, and state at that same number. i want to show viewers what republicans who oppose have to say, here's republican tom mcclintock on the floor yesterday. [video clip] >> a teenager who worked her heart out and qualify for the connecticut state championship track meet a few days ago, this is her experience. eight of us lined up at the starting line, but when six of us were only three quarters into the race, two boys were already across the finish line. what just happened? two boys identifying as girls happened. fair is no longer the norm. the chance to advance, the chance to win is over for us. this policy takes away our metals, records, scholarships, and dreams. an anguished mother named elaine

told her story. she said let me explain how this works. questioning a tryout just a professed gender identity is illegal. so when a little boys five years old and believes he is the opposite sex, affirmative care means going along with his beliefs. parents are encouraged to refer to him as their daughter and let him choose their name. is it really harmless to tell a child who believes in the tooth very that he is of the opposite sex? if a 10-year-old girl is uncomfortable with her developing body and it says she is a boy come affirmative care means blocking her puberty with powerful drugs. america, wake up. this is the brave new world that has democrats propose under the name equality. every daughter who has ever put their hearts into a sport should be outraged that their daughters dreams and hopes no longer matter to their representative. every parent who would give their life to protect their

child should be livid that this bill is about to replace them with bureaucrats who can administer puberty blocking drugs on their child's say-so. and every american should be scared as hell to realize the ideological extremism that is now running rampant behind a razor wire militarized u.s. capitol. host: janson wu, your response? guest: i would urge the representative to listen to his own constituents first. the equality act has been broad support across the spectrum. eight out of 10 americans support the equality act. almost seven out of 10 republicans. and the majority of every single major religion supports the equality act. this should be a no-brainer. unfortunately we see there is a lot of misinformation on which issues are being created by

proponents of the equality act to distract us from the real issue. it's ultimately at the end of the day about making the american dream reality for lgtbq people and ensuring that they can live their lives, contribute to their community without fear of discrimination. host: as the house was debating the legislation, they voted yesterday, 220 4-206. all democrats voted yes and three republicans joined them. at the same time you had congresswoman marie newman sending out this tweet. our neighbor, marjorie taylor greene, try to block the equality act because she believes prohibit disk nation against trans americans is disgusting, immoral, and evil. we put up the transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door. she responded with her own video , our neighbor, represented murray taylor wants to pass the so-called equality act and destroy women's rights and religious freedoms so we put a

bar is associated look at it every time she opens her door. janson wu? guest: i was so moved by representative newman's remarks. this is the perfect example of one parent who wants to do what's best for their child who happens to be transgender. i think every parent can empathize with that. i have a two-year-old, i don't know how my child will identify when they grow up. but i do know that whatever that is i will make sure, my primary job is to make sure they feel loved and safe and secure. that is something that all americans can get behind. with regards to the opposition, there will of course be some folks who never come to the side of equality when it comes to lgtbq rights. but i have been in countless campaigns at this point where we have pushed through legislation on marriage equality or

nondiscrimination protections in republican legislatures. i've always been amazed by the ability of people who were originally uncomfortable with the idea of extending protections for lgtbq people, after they hear the stories of young people in particular, and the parents who support them, understand this is an issue of fairness and they changed their minds had i have faith in the ability for those folks on the fence to listen, to learn with an open heart and an open mind, and change their minds. host: the headline about the back-and-forth between those two congresswomen, representative marie newman displays transgender fright -- pride flag after she dashed after her daughter -- after marjorie taylor greene insults her daughter with transphobia comments. caller: good morning. one question to your guest would be, i have nothing against

[indiscernible] everybody has needs. but what i don't like about all of this is cramming this down everyone else's throats. almost every commercial has a black-and-white couple. people aren't married that way. i love that they do marry that way. but people are not married that way. but men and women are men and women. you want to identify as a female and you are a male. do so. but don't go to a bathroom that does not go with your gender. i'm very sorry that people don't want to go to bathrooms that say they are a man or they are a woman, but i don't want them in the bathroom with my children. i'm a bad guy for not wanting that? that is make sense to me. host: how do you respond come i'm sure you for before? guest: it's not uncommon to hear folks express unfamiliarity or

discomfort with transgender people or what it means to be transgender. i remember the first time i met someone who is transgender. i had a lot of questions. it's good to be able to ask those questions and explore that. what's important to remember is that safety and privacy, especially in restrooms is important all of us. we already have laws in place that it make -- that make it illegal to harm or harass anyone in restrooms. the equality act would do nothing to change that law already in place. if you look at the experience that we have had, the equality act is federal legislation. we have seen 300 cities in over 20 states that have similar nondiscrimination protections on the ground for decades and there's really been no increase in public safety incidents in restrooms or invasion of privacy or any of these things.

i can respect bob's concerns, but i would invite him to learn and listen with an open heart and mind and understand that this is really just about making sure everybody can live their lives without discrimination in public spaces, housing, employment, all of the various ways we live our lives. host: a caller from indianapolis. caller: mr. wu, i'm a 70-year-old lachman -- black man who knows what discrimination is about. i was born in the state of mississippi and i moved to indianapolis after i graduated from high school. i would like for you to answer these two questions with yes or no. the first is is it true that from this bill that a young man could claim he's a woman and

enter into a woman's sport yes or no for that, is that true? that you under this new bill? guest: that's not true. this is an issue that opponents are trying to create to distract us from what the equality act is really about which is an equal opportunity for everyone. i appreciate the experience you bring and i'm sure you have seen a lot of really hard won races for the black community. it's about being able to, eat in a restaurant. look -- to work at a job, to rent an apartment without fear of being discriminated against because of who you are. this has come up a few times now with sports, and this is an issue for a lot of americans i can understand how this feels unfamiliar.

this is why we have public discourse, to talk about this. what's most important to remember is that all kids learn some really important life lessons in sports. that includes teamwork, leadership, confidence, that's why it is so integral to education. that includes transgender kid and they should have the same chances to learn those valuable life lessons through sports. but when we tell transgender girls that they cannot play those sports they miss out on this really important topic and lesson that it teaches. i would invite all of the listeners and viewers today to really look behind the headlines and talking points and talk to young folks who are transgender and their families to better understand the reality of their lives. host: danny, in laurel,

maryland, a republican. caller: to your guest, do you know who [indiscernible] guest: not ringing a bell i apologize. caller: she was a track star in high school, she was competing against two guys, trans guys, and she lost. she lost the race. is that fair? they are males, they are stronger. is that fair? guest: again, there's a lot we can all learn about the reality of transgender people. i think when you also look at athletics, one of the things we

know is that there's is a range of ability among athletes who are transgender and those who aren't. what i see amongst all athletes, not just those regardless of whether they are transgender or not, is that the best comes from hard work and that's the important lesson that all athletes including transgender athletes should get from their experience. hard work pays off. host: penny, in repent -- in pennsylvania, a republican. caller: a question for mr. wu. a couple of calls ago a gentleman called in and part of his question was about what is this doing for kids, if you have a five-year-old who says he wants to be a girl and they say you should encourage and call him your daughter and start puberty blocking drugs with this affirmative care portion of this bill. mr. wu skipped over that the

gentleman asked him about it but he said the bill covers a wide range of everybody. i would like to hear his comments on puberty blocking drugs on children when they are that young and thinking they want to be a boy or girl. thank you. guest: i think we can all agree that patients and their doctors, not politicians should define what's in the best interest of that person. that should be best practices within the medical profession. it's good to know that the american academy of pediatrics and american medical association and other leading medical associations all support as practice medical care for transgender youth. when you do that and you support transgender youth in those ways, you see them thrive. you see them blossom and open up in ways that all children should

be able to have. i get that that can be hard to understand if you've never met a young person whose transgender. if you've never met a child who, deep down in their core, they know they are a boy or girl. but when you do when you talk to these young people and their parents, you realize, all children deserve to be affirmed and supported and loved. that's what the equality act would do. it makes sure that lgtbq young people are treated fairly across-the-board, restaurants, businesses, and housing or in schools. that's what the american dream is about. it's about being able to work hard, play hard, and being able to contribute to this is -- to the communities. host: does the legislation specifically address the issue? if so, how? guest: there's nothing explicit.

what's important about the equality act is that it ensures fair treatment for transgender students and inclusion within education. this is not anything new, again. school districts and school administrators and teachers across the country have had experience on how best to include transgender youth and make sure they are affirmed in their school. and it's working. this is to make sure that there is an even playing field for all americans lgtbq or not but particularly for young people. host: so there's nothing in there that addresses hormone blocking therapies? guest: i would have to look back at the bills but i don't think those words are in the bill. what is in the bill is protections against discrimination in housing, businesses, employment, not being fired for who you are, in credit, it in so many areas of

life are lgtbq people face or fear discrimination and that's what the equality act is about. host: david anderson, south carolina, democrat, welcome to the conversation. caller: thank you. what would be wrong with the concept in sports that transgender people compete with transgender people? including a third category rather than going with this controversy? there's a scientific way to determine whether you have asked like chromosomes or double x chromosomes. you can use science. guest: that was a little hard to hear, but what i think i heard from the question was whether or not we should allow schools to

ask questions of young people who want to participate to determine whether or not they are eligible or not. and quickly, those types of questions, those examples are very invasive i think to anybody. that's not the type of government i think all of us would want that we get into people's personal and medical history in such an intimate way. but ultimately, we can celebrate girls sports and having affair and level playing field for all athletes. and also making sure the trans young people are included in athletics so they can benefit with those lessons around teamwork and sportsmanship and leadership that you got from sports. this is a both-and situation. it's being set up by opponents of equality because they know how popular the equality act is when people understand what's in it.

80% of americans, almost 70% of republicans, the majority of every major religious organization supports the equality act. our opponents know that they cannot win if this is a conversation that's actually about providing people fair treatment. so they're trying to distract with these other issues. host: patrick laurel, maryland, a democratic caller. caller: i want to expand on the caller that just called, because i don't find it discriminatory to state that transgendered people should have their own sports league. i find it unfair for men -- i apologize, for men who think they are women -- for men who feel that they are women to participate in women's sports and vice versa. from a natural standpoint it's not discriminatory to say that men are naturally stronger than women.

even as it pertains to women -- i find the lgtbq going a little far in stating we need to understand teamwork and this and that. and i applaud that. i applaud that lgtbq people should not be discriminatory -- just committed against and so on and so forth. but as it pertains to athletics, to the protection of -- host: i think we understood your point and the house is coming in for legislative session. jay then wu, you responded already but is there something else you want to say in response? guest: i appreciate the question. this is a learning journey for somebody americans. -- for so many americans. this is not about boys plane on

girls teams. it's about all girls playing and having an equal opportunity, including transgender girls. at the end of the day, the equality act is about making the american dream a reality for lgtbq americans and ensuring that nobody has to live in fear of discrimination sibley because of who they are and who they love. that's an american value we can all get behind. host: what's next for this legislation? what's next on the legal front? guest: we are looking forward to a robust hearing on the equality act and having all these questions answered. and also for folks to hear the stories of people who are harmed by discrimination. people like nick talbot, who wanted to serve in the military but was prohibited by the previous military ban on the previous administration and is now able to finally serve his country thanks to biden's executive order. but the great irony in all of

this is that he's from ohio. in ohio he doesn't have protection from discover nation in restaurants and businesses. the double standard is not one we can live with. i'm hopeful that folks will hear those stories of harm and understand why the economy at -- the equality act is long past due. host: janson wu is the executive director of the glbtq legal advocates and defenders. you can find and read more at their website. and people can find information to the questions a vast on that website? guest: yes, that's at glad.org. thank you for having me on. i have faith in the american people to ultimately choose fairness and equality. that's what we've always done in the history of this country. host: jason wu, thank you for this conversation. the houses is gaveling in early